Friday, August 01, 2014

Tomorrow, August 2, at 3pm, the Royal Asiatic Society Cinema Club and Seoul Film Society will have a free screening of the 1968 Lee Man-hee film "Holiday" (휴일) with English subtitles at Seoul Global Center's Haechi Hall in Myeongdong. This tale of two penniless lovers wondering the streets of Seoul in search of cash for an abortion was considered too bleak by the powers that be, and when their suggested revisions were rejected by the director and producer, the film was blocked from being shown, and was only rediscovered in 2005. The film is a premier example of Lee's art-film phase, features a great performance by Shin Seong-il, the leading man of the late 60s and early 70s, and is well worth watching. I'll give a brief introduction to the film, and, as it's so short, we'll also show a short documentary about Lee Man-hee's film making, with the film and documentary totaling just over 2 hours. The film will be followed by a discussion of the film for those wishing to take part.

Directions to Seoul Global Center's Haechi Hall can be found here, and more information about the film is here, and the screening, here.